http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...googlenews_wsj
Shell Stops Gas Sales to Iran
BUSINESS
MARCH 10, 2010, 9:33 A.M. ET
By BENOIT FAUCON
LONDON—Royal Dutch Shell PLC said Wednesday it is no longer selling gasoline to Iran, the latest oil company to make such a move during threats of tougher sanctions against the Islamic republic.
"Shell is not currently selling gasoline to Iran," a company spokesman said. He declined to comment on whether it was related to sanctions against Iran.
Shell's move comes as a number of Western oil companies have decided to stop trading with Iran as international pressure bites deeper into its oil and gas industry. Traders Vitol Holding BV and Glencore International AG, historically key fuel-oil suppliers to Iran, recently decided to halt sales of gasoline to the country.
The Islamic republic's refining expansion has been hindered by decades of sanctions, and it depends on imports for about 40% of its refined products consumption....
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http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1154660.html
Facing new sanctions, Iran admits oil shortages
By Reuters
Last update - 18:14 07/03/2010
A senior Iranian oil official said Sunday that increased gasoline rationing imposed late last year has failed to reduce domestic demand, an acknowledgment that reflects the OPEC nation's economic struggles as it faces possible new sanctions.
Farid Ameri, the head of Iran's National Distribution Oil Products Company, said gasoline consumption had remained unchanged this year despite a 20 percent cut in fuel rations since December.
"To meet the shortage, we need to import 22 million liters per day of gasoline and nine million liters of gasoil per day," Ameri was quoted as saying on Shana, the Oil Ministry's Web site.
Since December, Iranian drivers have had an 80 liter allotment of gasoline per month at a subsidized price of 1,000 rials - or about 10 cents per liter. Any volume over that costs roughly four-times the subsided price.
Previously, each car received 100 liters per month.
Iran is home to the world's second largest proven reserves of conventional crude and produces about 4.2 million barrels of oil per day. But a lack of refining capacity means that it produces roughly 44 million liters of gasoline per day - around only two-thirds of its of daily demand. Tehran must import more than 5 million gallons to meet its daily needs.
The imports, coupled with the subsidy program, are a heavy drain on the state budget, which relies on oil sales for around 80 percent of its revenues.
Iran's parliament has approved a bill submitted by Ahmadinejad aimed at phasing out the subsidies and distributing the money directly to the neediest Iranians - a populist measure which some analysts say will only serve to sharply boost inflation that some analysts say is already hovering around 20 percent. Official reports put the inflation at about 12 percent....